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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. A. T. EHRHARDT. v I METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL DISK- AND SPOKE WHEELS. I No. 560,785. Patented May 26, 1896.

W/A/[SSES (No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. A T. EHRHARDT.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL DISK AND SPOKE WHEELS. No. 560,785. Pat /nted Maw 26, 1896.

V/A/I/E/VTOIE:

I i $064? 7 W (No Model) 3 sheets-sheet 3.

E H. T. EHBHARDT. E METHOD OF MANUFAGT G WROUGHT IRON AND STEEL DISK. AND

SPOKE WHEELS. N0 560,785. Patented May 26, 1896.

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NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

IIEINRICIFAUGUST THEODOR EHRHARDT, OF DI ISSELDORF, GERMANY.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING WROUGHT-IRON AND STEEL DISK AND SPOKE WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,785, dated May 26, 1896. Application filed February 24, 1896. Serial No. 580,402. (No specimens.)

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that LHEINRICH AUGUST THEO- DOR EHRHARDT, a subject of the Grand Duke of Saxe-Ooburg-Gotha,residing at Dusseldorf, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Manufacturing Wrought-Iron and Steel Disk and Spoke Wheels and the Like; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Thisinvention consists in the manufacture of disks and wheels and the like out of one piece of wrought-iron or steel in such a manner that the fibers of the material are disposed radially in the disks or spokes and are made much stronger by the action of drawing. A long piece, Figures 1 and 2, is provided with a hole and is out into pieces 17, whose weight is that of the wheel, or short pieces of the weight of the wheel are manufactured originally with or without a hole. This piece I) is put into a matrix a, Fig. 3, and is brought by pressure to the size e by means of the piston 01. The matrix 0 is enlarged in its upper part and the hole f is larger than the pin g. In this way the material may move to all sides. The piece 6 obtained in this way is put into a second matrix h, Fig. 4:, in which a piece i is obtained, such as may be drawn. It is put with the piston 7c into the hole of the drawingplate 2, Fig. 5, either totally or only with such a part that the undrawn part corresponds in its volume with the inner ring or rim of the wheel. For obtaining the rand which forms the inner ring or rim the piston 71? is made of thinner size in its back part, as shown in Figs. at and 5. By this disposition the rand of the piece m, which is pushed over the thinner part of the piston, is not drawn and the fibers remain in the radial direction around the piston, into which they are brought by pressing. After drawing, the half-finished wheel is enlarged by means of one or more funnels n, Fig. 6, and finally pressed into the matrix 9 by means of the piston 0, Fig. 7. By this operation the wheel is entirely finished and at the same time equalized. For avoiding the dilatation of the rand for the rim and of the disk itself caused by enlarging Fig. 6, the section of the piston in and drawing-platel, Fig. 5, may be undulated, as shown in Fig. 8, instead of being completely round. This undulated shape, however, must change into a round one in the fore part of the piston. The whole length of the undulated rand of the piece m, Fig. 8, corresponds to the periphery of the rim of a wheel and a detrimental dilatation of the rand is impossible.

If spoke-wheels are to be manufactured,the matrices and drawing-plates must be provided for the purpose with ribs. Figs. 9 to 16 represent the several operations. In this case, also, a piece a, Fig. 9, is pressed into a matrix 0, provided with ribs 1), Figs. 9 and 10, and brought to the size 6 by means of a pressing-piston cl. The material is then pressed into the openings between the ribs. In the next following matrix f, Fig. 11, the piece 6 is pressed by the piston 9 .until the latter touches the ribs h. In this way a piece i is formed which is provided with thick spokes connected inward by the nave and outward by the rim, which is still too thick. Then, the piece being pushed through the drawing-plate 1, Fig. 12, the spokes will have the exact dimensions. The piston 70 and drawing-platel have such a size that the wheel is brought to the form represented in Figs. 13 and 14:. The rim is undulated and will,when extended, correspond to the periphery of a finished wheel. Moreover, bending and rectifying will be facilitated, as in the disk wheel. In the finishing-matrix, Fig. 15, the flattened wheel is equalized by means of the piston m and matrix it, while the spokes are brought into the size represented in Fig. 16. In the spoke wheel the direction of the fibers of the material in the spokes is also radial. Therefore by the drawing operation the Wheels are much stronger and may therefore be made much less heavy.

That I claim is- A method of manufacturing wrought-iron, and steel, disk, and spoke, wheels, and the like, which consists in first pressing an ingot into matrices to partially shape out the wheel, and thereafter drawing the blank through a draw-plate in a direction longitudinal ofthe line of the axis of the wheel, whereby the grain of the fibers in the disks or spokes is disposed radially, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence ,of two witnesses.

HEINRICH. AUGUST THEODOR EHRHARD'".

Witnesses EMMA. LIEB'ER, WILLIAM ESSENWEIN. 

